Benzene and Its Derivatives New Uses and Impacts on Environment and Human Health

Benzene, one of the main building blocks of the petrochemical industry today, is used mainly as an intermediate to make other chemicals. Smaller amounts of benzene are used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, explosives, napalm and pesticides. Due to the concerns and increasing restrictive legislation, our knowledge on benzene must stick to a changing scenario: the uses and industrial processes are changing, environmental and occupational exposure limits are decreasing and the scientific community is currently engaged in deeper understanding of the toxicity mechanism that impact on human health and in studying technologies to reduce its impact as a water and air pollutant. This book presents new uses of benzene and its derivatives.